On Nov. 30, Hawaii Governor David Ige convened a summit in Honolulu to discuss Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, a new fungal disease attacking and killing the most abundant native tree in the state of Hawaii.
Moore Foundation grantees from the University of Hawaii participated in the summit, along with representatives of federal, state and local government agencies, researchers, business leaders and other interested parties. The summit was open to the public.
On Hawaii Island, hundreds of thousands of ʻōhiʻa have already died across thousands of acres from this fungus, called Ceratocystis fimbriata. Healthy trees appear to die within a few days to a few weeks. Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death is an extremely serious threat to Hawaii’s native forests. Mortality caused by the disease is unprecedented with respect to scale, speed and potential impact.
In a prepared statement, Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono shared her support for the summit. "I'm encouraged by our statewide partnership and remained commitment to find federal resources to combat Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death."
The Moore Foundation previously supported efforts to respond to Sudden Oak Death in California through a grant to University of California researchers at Berkeley and Davis for a treatment against the pathogen responsible for killing millions of oak trees and several tree species from California’s Big Sur to the Oregon border.
"The ‘Ōhi‘a are central to our culture, symbolizing strength and beauty," said Gov. Ige. "It will take all of us working to slow and stop the spread of Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death. The time to act is now."
The all-day summit began with an information briefing on Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death by the lead research and outreach specialists, followed by breakout groups in the afternoon to discuss outreach, funding, research and rapid response.
A strategic response plan based on input from the participants was also presented and can be found here.
Message sent
Thank you for sharing.